Chapter 2

My sheer presence forced the charging guards to a dead halt. They glanced at each other, hesitation flickering across their faces.

Jessica slammed her hand on the table. "What the hell are you doing? Are you deaf? I am the one who authorizes payroll! You really want to get fired right before the holidays?"

Finding work wasn't easy these days. Spurred by her threat, the guards took tentative steps toward me again.

I looked at Jessica, disappointment heavy in my chest. I was her real brother. Why did she always side with an outsider to crush her own blood?

"Jessica, we lived under the same roof for so many years. Are you really going to do this?"

We had been siblings for over a decade. I wanted to give her one final chance.

Hearing my words, a faint glimmer of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

Lucas noticed it instantly. He quickly stepped between us, faking warmth as he patted my shoulder. "Kieran, we're all family. How could I ever hold a grudge against you? My home is your home."

Disgusted, I slapped his hand away. "Get your filthy paws off me."

Jessica’s expression turned instantly dark. "Lucas was trying to bail you out, and this is how you repay him? You ungrateful parasite! When you were sick, Mom spent hundreds of thousands of dollars saving your useless life. If Lucas hadn’t taken pity on you and donated his bone marrow, you’d be rotting in the dirt right now!"

One of Lucas’s lackeys in the crowd spat onto the floor.

"I always knew Lucas was loyal to his friends, but I never knew he risked his life to save an orphan."

"I heard Kieran was an abandoned street kid. The Sterlings took him in out of pity because he got along with Lucas. To think he turned out to be such an ungrateful dog. I bet they regret ever picking him up."

"People like that should've died years ago instead of sticking around to leech off others."

Vicious rumors and lies swirled around me like poison.

I tried to speak, but my voice was drowned out by merciless jeers.

The scene dragged me straight back into the nightmare of my past life—powerless, humiliated, crushed beneath their feet.

Back then, whenever rumors spread about my origins, Jessica never defended me. Instead, to elevate Lucas's social standing, she dropped subtle hints that made people look down on me even more. I grew so insecure that I didn't dare show my face in public.

Things only escalated. At school, I became an outcast.

With Lucas’s quiet approval, his clique treated me like their personal plaything. They knocked my lunch tray to the floor, forcing me onto my knees to eat off the dirty tiles.

When I showered in the locker room, they stole my clothes, snapped degrading photos, and threatened to ruin me if I didn't act like their obedient dog.

I broke down and begged Jessica for help. She didn't lift a finger. Instead, she blamed me: It takes two to tango. If you weren't so flawed, people wouldn't be teaching you a lesson. Go look in the mirror and fix yourself.

I used to be an honor student, but because of their cruelty, my grades collapsed.

In this life, I would never let history repeat itself.

Jessica raised her hand, signaling the crowd to quiet down, before locking eyes with me. "People see the truth. If Lucas hadn't stopped me over and over, I would've kicked you out the very day Mom had her accident. You don't belong in the Sterling household. You pollute our air."

She turned back to the security team. "If you throw him out into the snow tonight, I will pay every single one of you five times your monthly salary as a bonus."

At the mention of such a massive payout, the guards lunged at me like a pack of rabid hounds.

I dodged with a clean sidestep, slipped behind Lucas, and kicked him square in the spine, launching him directly into the mob of guards.

"Touch me, and you'll ruin your own lives!"

I met Jessica's stunned gaze. "I gave you a chance, Jessica. Since you love this fake brother so much, you can pack your bags and get the hell out of my company with him."